NYPD cop says he 'flew off the handle' in his viral tirade against an Uber driver

MANHATTAN — NYPD Det. Patrick Cherry was quizzed by
Civilian Complaint Review Board investigators Friday and admitted
he was wrong to yell at an Uber driver in a rant caught on a
viral video this week.

Cherry, who has been stripped of his gun and badge by
Commissioner Bratton, admitted he flew off the handle when he
tried to park his unmarked car on the West Side and was blocked
by an Uber car.

But he told the probers that he only became upset when the driver
gestured wildly, berated him and then refused to give him
his driver’s license and registration when the detective pulled
him over to discuss the incident.

He admitted when the motorist refused his commands, he lost
it.

His tirade was captured on video by a passenger, and went viral.
Cherry could be seen cursing and mocking the driver. "How long
have you been in this country?” the detective demanded.

DNAinfo New York previously reported that Cherry was embarrassed
and apologetic about his behavior.

He also appeared on WNBC New York to publicly say he was
sorry, and that he would accept his punishment and try to regain
his reputation.

"I apologize. I sincerely apologize," he said. "People shouldn't
be treated that way. I let my emotions get the better of me and I
was angry. My intention was to be courteous and then we got into
an argument. There was no intention to berate or hurt deeply the
driver."

Cherry told the network he pulled over the Uber driver to
"clarify the problem” and that the driver “got smart” when Cherry
asked for his license and registration.

"When I walked up, I was uptight. I wanted to know what the
problem was. What did I do that was so wrong that I had to get
chastised?" Cherry said. "I felt his driving actions were
discourteous and impolite and when he stopped he said, 'I'm not
going to give you anything."'

“I was upset that he refused to give me his license and
registration and I yelled inappropriately," Cherry added. "That's
not who I am, that's not who I've been and that's not how I
conducted myself as an officer in New York City."

Bratton yanked Cherry from the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force
and placed him on modified duty. His union has urged the public
not to judge him solely by this incident.

“You can’t judge 3 minutes of tape that that is the common
practice of the New York Police Department,” he continued in the
interview. “At the end of the day it’s simply one individual who
got angry."